About me

Unfortunately, as of 20th August 2016, I am too busy to take any new referrals.

Helping you find a path to recovery: I have an emphasis on listening and working out, with you, exactly what your difficulties are - then discussing what you want to achieve in therapy and planning sessions aimed at getting you back on track. I get to know people as individuals with strengths of their own (not just a label, ‘problem’ or diagnosis).

The aim of CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) is to gain a clearer understanding about what has been keeping your problems going, then try out ways of tackling and managing those difficulties differently and more effectively. CBT is not about 'positive thinking' - it's about learning to be more realistic or fair, and stop getting caught up in negative thoughts and worries that can seem to spiral out of control.

In CBT sessions you find ways out of the unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaving that we can all get stuck in at times. You also agree things to try out and practise outside of sessions - so that CBT leaves you with a new range of skills and strategies that you can use to get well and stay well, or minimise the impact of any future ‘blips’ in your mood or psychological well-being. There is a widespread myth about CBT not helping people resolve issues in their past - this is not true and it has a lot to offer people who want to look at their past and find work on the 'here and now' is not quite enough for them or their difficulties.

I have always worked in the helping professions because I like working with people of all kinds, and enjoy working with all aspects of distress and psychological or mental health difficulties. I find CBT and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing) particularly rewarding because clients find that these approaches make sense and are helpful on various levels or in different ways.

I offer the following:

Individual Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to adults and 16 to 18 year olds who are funding themselves, or coming via an insurance company or occupational health provider.

A professional, thorough service from an experienced psychotherapist and graduate of the renowned Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre (OCTC).

I have been providing EMDR since October 2011 (this specialist treatment is recognised by the NHS/NICE guidelines for PTSD but is increasingly also used for the lesser traumas and distressing events that underpin many other problems such as depression, phobias, anxiety etc. For more information please visit my website).

Training, qualifications & experience

I am a qualified teacher (B'Ed in junior/middle education and biology), a qualified social worker specialising in mental health (CQSW, ASW/AMHP) and completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in Cognitive Therapy in 2005 awarded by Oxford University. After qualifying in CBT I continued to practice it on a part-time basis for four years while working as a mental health social worker. I went on to work full-time as a CBT Therapist within IAPT/NHS for over two years. I then reduced my hours to accommodate some private work and after a year of continuing with NHS work, I finally became a full time private therapist in August 2013.

My psychotherapy is informed by over 20 years experience in mental health across the broadest spectrum of settings and difficulties - from primary care (GP surgery) level to clients with major mental illness in the community as well as those in or leaving specialist hospitals or units. I have been an active member of Buckinghamshire's Post-Disaster Support team for over 20 years.

In addition, my work and understanding of human problems benefits from nearly 30 years in social work across every age of client and type of difficulty or disability, and also different kinds of teaching experience.

I am a member of BABCP (The British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies - a professional body for CBT therapists) and am accredited by them. I trained in EMDR in 2012/2013 and in 2016 I became an EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner and many clients and I are continuing to find it a very helpful method of resolving difficulties.

Other areas of counselling I deal with

Therapies offered

Fees

My fees reflect my experience/qualifications as a therapist and vary according to whether additional work is involved (preparing reports or supporting letters, liaison with funding agencies etc). Please email or ring me for further details.

Further information

I have been providing some private therapy since January 2012. Since August 2013 I have been in private practice full time, including some evening appointments to accommodate people in full-time work. Saturday mornings are also sometimes possible.

My office/consulting room is in an attractive listed building in a discreet, quiet location with free off road parking. There are a few steps up to the front door but access from a side door with just 2 low, separate single steps is possible by arrangement and my room is on the ground floor. There are toilets on the ground floor but, unfortunately, not any adapted for disabled people.

Maps & Directions

Type of session

Practical details

Availability

CURRENTLY FULL (Aug '16). I work full time hours, except Mondays in office hours but including some evenings and some Saturday mornings.

Types of client

Young people

Adults

Older adults

Employee Assistance Programme

Supervision & training

As an experienced, accredited CBT Psychotherapist who qualified in 2005 and a former High Intensity Therapist within IAPT, I can offer CBT supervision to those wishing to develop their skills in using CBT approaches.